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South Dakota the "Worst State" for Coronavirus, says New Tracking Report

304 news 090320

 

South Dakota is the worst state in the nation for COVID-19 after a surge in cases last week. 

The state has reported 2,152 cases in the past seven days, 243 cases per 100,000 people. That's the highest amount of cases per 100, in the nation, according to the tracking done by the New York Times.

 

Today Iowa added more than 600 new cases of the coronavirus and nine further deaths.

 

A website that has been analyzing Iowa coronavirus data from the start of the pandemic is now piecing together Iowa schools' reports.

 

On the site, Iowa COVID-19 Tracker, Sara Willette (will-ET) has posted numbers showing dozens of students testing positive and hundreds in quarantine.

 

The state does not collect those numbers, but Willette says people need to know how the virus is spreading in their communities.

 

There will definitely be situations in which someone brings it to the school, transmits it to someone else, and then that person will take it home to their families or to their after school program.   

Willette is working with the Iowa State Education Association to verify coronavirus cases in schools.

She says she's noticed some rural schools in counties with low case numbers are reporting illnesses, which she says could be a sign of undetected community spread.

 

Every county in Iowa is now abnormally dry, or in a drought, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday. 

 

Parts of 40 Iowa counties were now in a severe drought, up from 34 one week ago, according to the USDA. According to the USDA, more than 82% of Iowa is in some form of drought. 

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